Cuba denounces impact of U.S. policy on culture

HAVANA, Cuba, February 18 (ACN) During the 19^th Session of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee tasked with addressing the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, the diplomat Laura Alvarez, member of the Cuban Permanent Delegation to the organization, denounced the escalating aggression of the United States government and its effects on the island’s cultural sector and provided details on the increasingly hostile U.S. Cuba policy, including the oil blockade and its impact on areas such as public policy, artistic training, and cultural exchange.

Ms. Alvarez remarked that the executive order signed on January 29 by President Donald Trump envisages the imposition of tariffs on countries that supply or sell oil to Cuba, which intensifies the illegal policy of strangulation and collective punishment that Washington has kept in place for more than six decades.

 "We regret that we must use this space to denounce an ongoing crime when we could otherwise be commemorating, together with you, Cuba's contribution to the celebration of the 20^th anniversary of this Convention with the participation of our artists," she stated.

The official stressed that Cuba is a peaceful and safe country, forced by Washington's new crusade, and particularly its impact on the energy system, to cancel major cultural events and to move numerous initiatives from in-person to digital formats.

“All of this affects our people’s artistic and creative life as the intensified U.S. blockade becomes a serious threat to our ability to comply with the 2005 Convention and a barrier to both the development of our artists and creators and other people’s access to Cuba's rich cultural heritage”, she pointed out.

Ms. Alvarez also noted that Cuba is not alone under the present circumstances, as it has the support and solidarity of hundreds of artists and intellectuals from around the world, whose stance she thanked.